Chocolate and Cinnamon
by BookishMia
Summary: AU -ish. A is not included in the Liars' lives. Jaria Oneshot. Aimed to be a sweet and easy read. Hope you enjoy )


He dreamed of chocolate and trees. Cypresses to be exact. With just a pinch of cinnamon. The colors blended together in his mind forming a familiar face.

 _Yeah way to go Aria that's not vague at all. Trees ? Ugh damn it this is way harder than it looks. As if the 6 ft doppelganger of Apollo could even think of her in his sleep._  
 _  
_His senses were drunk from the intoxicating smell of rain in a cold wintery day. Air always seemed cleaner in the winter as if the oxygen had a presence much more potent in a time where everything is put in retrospect. This soothing pause winter brings often helps him contemplate. Tonight it brought him her image, her scent, her laughter. Blurry, doubtful but still present in a troubled world. Even a dream of her could transfer him to another time and space. He advanced forward stretching his arms to get a hold of her, desperate to reach her before she vanished. His eyes can no longer see, the rest of his senses now guide him. The sound of her laughter like an otherworldly melody that only a true artist-in-heart can hear, becomes louder now. She is only but a few steps away. Coming close he reaches and caresses her cheek with his thumb. He kisses it softly reveling in the moment. Their lips finally lock together firmly. He is bewitched body and soul.

"It's a start" she sighed and put down her pen. Professor Fitz had insisted that they write their samples in paper saying it conveyed a much more personal note. He believed the reader felt closer to the writer's feelings and thus could better experience the story. Despite his young age he was oldschool but in a fun way. And he was everyone's favorite, Aria's too.  
Although Aria always imagined the perfect boyfriend to be like someone as Ezra Fitz, dark hair, blue eyes, cool uncommon first name with a passion for literature she found herself thinking about her 50 shades of shadiness neighbor, Jason DiLaurentis. Was it the fact that she knew almost next to nothing about him that made him so attractive to her -besides his insanely good looks? This air of mystery drawing her in to share his dark secrets? Oh how she was dying to know what he kept hidden from the world. Everyone in Rosewood had secrets and hidden skeletons in their closets but his were dangerously intriguing for some reason. She separated him from them. His tragedy was fresh only but a year ago and unresolved.  
Her phone buzzed disrupting her daydream. It was Emily. It was already 8:30 and Aria was supposed to meet them at the Grille half an hour ago. She got up immediately and started getting ready. Like it or not she was going for the casual look today. She styled her hair quickly in a messy bun and put on her biker boots. Jeans and a striped shirt would have to do. Grabbing her leather jacket and her phone she bolted for the door.  
She did this route everyday to go to school so she had trained herself to do it with her eyes closed and her hands tied. If it were any other day surely she would have seen him the minute she shut the door. Or even while she was walking in front of his house to get to the main road. She was texting Emily rapidly that she was on her way there when she bumped into someone causing her to lose her balance.

"Heyy watch it!" he said annoyingly then turned to look at her "Aria? Almost didn't recognize you without your usual outfits and.. pink hair" Jason said jokingly while grabbing her arms to stop her from falling.

"Yeah I get that a lot. About the hair I mean. The outfits are still crazy" Aria joked keeping it cool to her surprise. _The universe is messing with me. What on earth?_  
"Sorry for literally running into you. I'm just already late" she added avoiding his gaze.

"So am I actually. Do you want a ride?" he offered forcing her to look at him with his question.

"Umm no it's okay I'm not that far anyway"

"Well we're both heading out and we're both late. Besides there's no need for you to trip your way over there" he half-smiled still holding her gaze, his eyes piercing through hers.

"Right" she chuckled and averted her gaze as they advanced towards his car. If the others knew she was letting Alison's older brother be her ride she'd never hear the end of it!

"So do you want to tell me where you're heading or am I to drop you off on the middle of the road?" Jason said after a while breaking their momentarily silence.

"Uh the Apple Rose Grille" she responded.

"I know this place. Didn't Ali used to go there?"

"Yeah we go there a lot. Rosewood isn't much but there are a few good places" she commented

"Be careful though. You don't want to linger too much. This town has a habit of keeping you close" he said cryptically.

"You talk as though you can't leave. Is something holding you here?" she asked before she could stop herself "Scratch that I'm...

"Sorry? Don't be. It's actually nice to talk to someone who's not constantly thinking about Ali's disappearance."

"Well if it does you any good, whispering never left Rosewood. Probably never will" she added noticing they had reached her destination.

He simply sighed and turned to look at her "Looks like you're here"

"Again thanks for the ride" she said while coming out of the car.  
She awkwardly stood there for a couple of seconds probably waiting for him to say something back like Anytime or See you later and then hurried to the restaurant suddenly feeling a little too underdressed. And self-conscious. And she realized why. When she'd finally reached the door a car was driving away and she saw from the reflection it was his. He'd lingered a bit to make sure she got in. He was supposedly late as well yet he took his time watching her from afar. Aria wasn't sure if she should feel scared or creeped out. She simply smiled secretly to herself and walked towards her friends.


End file.
